Third Degree at Guitar Center

[fdeck]

I went to Guitar Center to buy a $3 cable. Took it to what looked like the front desk. The girl said I had to take my stufff over there. So I went over there. First, the guy wants my name and address. Next, I swipe my credit card. Now he wants my drivers license. I get rung up. Fine. Finally, I have to take my stuff back to the girl at the front desk, she looks at my receipt, and rubber-stamps it.

What the?

[peterbright]

Standard operating procedure...$3 or $3,000.

[troy2003]

I hate that.I bought an acoustic similator pedal,and a monster cable and a few other things for my boy-paid by credit card..As I am walking out I remember I need cleaner.go get a $3 bottle and going to pay cash.Kid asks me my name and address-I said "cash".He actually typed in cash,I said-"no-cash money" Refused to ring me up w/o name and address.I said forget it.

[FL Knifemaker]

As long as you were properly addressed as "Dooooood" you shouldn't be soo upset

[peterbright]

That does make me chuckle when they do that. I just tell them it's Dr. Dude dooooode.

[Bryan316]

I always tell them nevermind, unless I'm buying from one of my buddies there. If I'm just jumping in for standard crap and it ain't a sales guy who I know and always go to first, I just tell em nevermind.

Only once, have I had to say, "You want the sale or you want me to walk out?" Then they shutup and ring you up anonymously.


Speaking of $3 cables, I gotta go buy two 3-foot XLR jumpers for the EQ in my PA box... they open on Easter?

[username n/a]

Originally Posted by Bryan316

I always tell them nevermind, unless I'm buying from one of my buddies there. If I'm just jumping in for standard crap and it ain't a sales guy who I know and always go to first, I just tell em nevermind.

Only once, have I had to say, "You want the sale or you want me to walk out?" Then they shutup and ring you up anonymously.


Speaking of $3 cables, I gotta go buy two 3-foot XLR jumpers for the EQ in my PA box... they open on Easter?

If your gonna go bring me, oh we should bring keith to and dan.

[Bryan316]

I've a friend flying in, in two weeks on business. He requested some "shopping" experiences. Heh heh. I'm chauffeuring him EVERYWHERE! Low Down Sound, Huber-Breese, Motor City Guitar, Marshall Music, maybe even Elderly Music out in Lansing if we have enough time!

[fdeck]

What I want to know is what motivates them to put people through the wringer. Most security measures in retail stores are directed towards the employees, and I can't guess how checking my ID helps with this. Next time I go in, I will check out whether there are video cameras above the cash registers.

[Mark Latimour]

Guitar Centre are handing out degrees now? Talk about McUniversity culture!

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by fdeck

What I want to know is what motivates them to put people through the wringer. Most security measures in retail stores are directed towards the employees, and I can't guess how checking my ID helps with this. Next time I go in, I will check out whether there are video cameras above the cash registers.

I suspect it's because the company makes money selling the information. Radio Shack used to do this; they'd insist that anyone buying anything, whether cash, check or credit card, had to give name and address and they wouldn't take no for an answer. They finally abandoned the policy a few years ago after their reputation for "big brother" tactics caused them to lose a lot of customers.

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I suspect it's because the company makes money selling the information. Radio Shack used to do this; they'd insist that anyone buying anything, whether cash, check or credit card, had to give name and address and they wouldn't take no for an answer. They finally abandoned the policy a few years ago after their reputation for "big brother" tactics caused them to lose a lot of customers.

I remember years ago whenever I would buy something of little value from Radio Shack and they would do the name-address thing I would always say "George Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, DC". I'd get dirty looks but I didn't care, they'd write it up like that all the time! Now when I go to GC and they ask me my name for something like a bottle of Fast Fret I tell them, "Sorry, privacy issues". They never bother me after that.

[peterbright]

When they pull up your name it tells them how much you've spent.

[crazyguy832]

They shouldn't force you to... that's just a little illegal, I do believe.

That said, I like it how at most stores they keep track of your name and purchases. Thus, you don't need to keep track of receipts (even though I do anyways).

^_^

[hbarcat]

Originally Posted by stratovani

I remember years ago whenever I would buy something of little value from Radio Shack and they would do the name-address thing I would always say "George Bush, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, DC". I'd get dirty looks but I didn't care, they'd write it up like that all the time! Now when I go to GC and they ask me my name for something like a bottle of Fast Fret I tell them, "Sorry, privacy issues". They never bother me after that.

I always told them that I'm paying cash and don't want to give them my name but one time the clerk said I needed to give them a name so I said "Johnny Cash of 123 Privacy Lane". The manager came over (he was listening as the clerk rang up the sale) and told me that the information was necessary for the receipt in order for them to honor a return if the merchandise was defective. I politely told him that if the merchandise was defective that the store was obligated replace it as long as I had the receipt no matter if my name was on it or not. He tried to argue with me and got all snooty about how important this was and how some people don't want to keep up to date with modern technology so I just said "All I want to do is buy a $10 item with cash, not listen to you lie to me about why your company wants to have my name and address. So, goodbye."

[XtreO]

it's the government man

[stratovani]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

I always told them that I'm paying cash and don't want to give them my name but one time the clerk said I needed to give them a name so I said "Johnny Cash of 123 Privacy Lane". The manager came over (he was listening as the clerk rang up the sale) and told me that the information was necessary for the receipt in order for them to honor a return if the merchandise was defective. I politely told him that if the merchandise was defective that the store was obligated replace it as long as I had the receipt no matter if my name was on it or not. He tried to argue with me and got all snooty about how important this was and how some people don't want to keep up to date with modern technology so I just said "All I want to do is buy a $10 item with cash, not listen to you lie to me about why your company wants to have my name and address. So, goodbye."

Very well said, I'll have to copy-and-paste this for future reference.

[bluestarbass]

Heres why they do it:

When I used to work at Sam ash people would call in and say, "hey I lost my reciept, can I still return something?" I would say yes, we have a record of that in the computer. Now you have to remeber, guitar center and sam ash run really old computer systems. They would come in and I would ask them for their phone number or contact info. They would say "well I didnt want to give it" Fine, well now I cant look it up and if cant look it up and I cant return in. Its done for returns. Musicians loose stuff and it makes returns easier this way. I would always ask, but never pushed the issues. If you hold onto your reciept, but didnt give your contact info, this was fine also. It did seem that he same customers that were irate with you were the same ones who wanted to return stuff without a reciept. It was pretty easy to tell them, sorry without reciept I cant return it.

[bluestarbass]

I politely told him that if the merchandise was defective that the store was obligated replace it as long as I had the receipt no matter if my name was on it or not.

This is very true, as long as you have your receipt. Few people do. If you cant prove you got it from that store then they dont have to exchange it no matter what. Im not trying to defend this policy, this is just how I saw it. I never give them my name, and always hold onto my reciept for 30 days just in case.

[peterbright]

I want them to know how much I spend.